An artist from Los Angeles has been threatened to be sued for her nude Donald Trump painting if she put the artwork on sale. The piece of art that shows the US presidential candidate with a small penis became controversial and went viral in social media.
The nude painting of Donald Trump was painted by Ilma Gore for "Make America Great Again", which since she posted it on Facebook, it became the most shared image in February, with over 260,000 shares, Daily Mail reported. According to Gore, she has been receiving death and sexual assault threats, and stalkers roaming around her house since the image went viral.
She also said, an unknown number called her twice claiming they are from the US presidential candidate's legal team, threatening a legal action if the piece was sold. The said artwork is currently displayed in London's Maddox Gallery, worth of $1million.
However, despite the lawsuit threat, Gore said, she will still continue to sell the said painting, as she already planned to give an amount to a charity called Safe Place for Youth, dedicated to support for homeless youths, Independent reported. "It is my art and I stand by it. Plus anyone who is afraid of a fictional penis is not scary to me," Gore said.
The London gallery has offered to exhibit Gore's artwork after US galleries banned the painting following security concerns, such as violent threats from the politician billionaire's supporters, according to the Guardian. Gore said, British people have become supportive.
"It only really got out of hand when Donald Trump referenced it in a debate, which sums up Trump and his ego. From there, everyone wanted to see this image," the gallery director, Cordelia de Freitas said. Gore also said her inspiration of the painting was from Marco Rubio's remarks regarding Trump's hands size during the Virginia rally in February.
Both Facebook and eBay have banned the photo and have threatened to sue Gore for copyright violation under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
